I can switch on my TV set at 2am if Chris Gayle is batting: Gautam Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was full of praise for the RCB star batsman Chris Gayle. After the Jamaican breached the 10,000 run mark in T20 cricket, people around the world have been in awe of the left-handed batsman’s outstanding achievement.

The 35-year old himself is having a great time in the IPL. He has hit the ball well and has played aggressively to set up games for his side. As a result, KKR sits pretty at the second spot in the points table with 4 wins in 5 games.

Gambhir is a special columnist for Hindustan Times, and in his latest article, the former India opener wrote about Gayle’s undisputed status in T20 cricket. He is one of the many who loves to watch the ‘universal boss’ operating in T20 cricket.

Gambhir wrote, “He (Chris Gayle) is a delight for marketing men, broadcasters, and of course us, the lesser mortals, his fans who were not surprised that he reached 10000 runs in this format.”

Gayle’s approach has always been to hit the ball as far as possible, something which Gambhir said is never told by the coaches. This is what separates Chris Gayle from the rest.

“How does he do it? Well, the first thing is Gayle’s intent. Most coaches have told me the 4-3-2-1 formula to score runs. It means the first option is to look for a boundary. Second, look for three runs, the third option is to search a couple and final one being to at least take a single.

With Gayle, the formula seems to be “think 6–think 6–think 6 again–bloody hell, let me block. Fours, well, let’s see.” My man hates to deal in ones, twos or threes. Most people look (sometimes complain) at the thickness of his bat, but for me the truth lies in the simplicity of the Jamaican’s gameplan.”

Gambhir, a cerebrally intense character, said that although he is an early sleeper, Gayle’s batting can keep him up till late.

“I may not be able to give him company at a pub beyond 1 AM but I’ll be the first person to switch on my TV set at 2 AM if he is batting. He is what the T20 planet craves for, an entertainer.”

The KKR skipper also lauded his teammate Yusuf Pathan, who is an explosive batsman himself; as he has changed his game slightly. He now looks to build an innings instead of just slogging whatever is bowled at him. He has evolved as a batsman and has enjoyed two consecutive good seasons for KKR.

“I am glad that Yusuf has come out of the compulsive hitting mode and is now more judicious in his strokeplay. In the 2015 IPL, he averaged 44.57, and 72.2 in the next season. In the last game against Delhi, it was his sensible batting that bailed us out from 21 for 3. Yusuf often says that our former bowling coach Wasim Akram too had a role to play in his transformation.”

Yusuf’s new game plan has been directly proportionate with KKR’s success in the past couple of years. He was recently responsible for a tight win against Delhi Daredevils where Pathan scored an impressive 59 to set up the 4 wicket win at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

KKR will now host the struggling Gujarat Lions on Friday. A win here might take them to the top of the table.